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Putz ready to go after neck stiffness

Putz ready to go after neck stiffness

SAN DIEGO -- It didn't take long Thursday for D-backs closer J.J. Putz to realize his stiff neck was good to go.

"I woke up and cracked my neck and I was good," Putz said.

Putz woke up Wednesday with a stiff neck and was unable to loosen it up after spending that afternoon receiving treatment.

The right-hander attempted to play catch during the fourth inning of the D-backs game against the Giants and after he was unable to do so, he let manager Kirk Gibson know that he would be unavailable to pitch.

As a result, Ian Kennedy pitched deeper into the game, throwing a career-high 122 pitches, while setup man David Hernandez recorded the final four outs to pick up the save.